Ford Plants in Britain, Mexico Hit by Strikes

LONDON — More than 32,000 Ford Motor Co. workers went on strike Monday, shutting down virtually all of the auto maker's British operations and threatening to send layoffs rippling through Europe.

The strike halted production at all but a 168-worker plant in south London. The British subsidiary of the U.S. auto giant expects to lose $30 million daily in sales.

Meanwhile, the 900 workers at Ford's plant in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua went on strike Monday demanding 50% wage increases and a shorter work day, the government news agency Notimex reported.